# Kiseru Pipes



## Katharsis (Jun 15, 2011)

Has anyone ever smoked from a Kiseru pipe?

Tsuge Kiseru Oiran Pipe - tsukiseru55


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## Commander Quan (May 6, 2003)

Unless you want something to set on your mantle I wouldn't spend $65 on that. It's beautiful, just impractical. I have a souvenir one that I bought in Korea for $1


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## Katharsis (Jun 15, 2011)

Yeah, I wasn't going to, but still, I was wondering how they smoked.


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## Commander Quan (May 6, 2003)

They were made to smoke a tobacco that was shredded finer than shag. 5 Bros is probably the only thing that would smoke well in one.


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## Fuzzy (Jun 19, 2011)

Thirty or forty years ago, I knew some who thought that was the perfect hash pipe.

Nooo, not me!


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## johnb (Feb 20, 2012)

Fuzzy said:


> Thirty or forty years ago, I knew some who thought that was the perfect hash pipe.
> 
> Nooo, not me!


Lol I know some who right now would think that. Then again I am from BC


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## Irfan (Dec 18, 2011)

I was in Tokyo and Kyoto about two months ago. At the time, I thought it would be fun to get hold of a kiseru, just as a souvenir, and to have a change to go out looking for it. I got cold feet when I realized that even the fairly standard models go for around $200. Anything actually made in Japan costs a fortune over there.


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## floogy (Jul 2, 2012)

My wife is Japanese and she mentioned the Kiseru when I started smoking pipes. She may even still have one stashed away in my mother in law's storage. So, I did a search here and saw someone had asked the same question. I'd like to try it but I'd want to get the whole experience instead of trying to smoke a different type of tobacco. They sell Kizami tobacco here https://medwakh.com/asian-tobacco.html for anyone who owns a Kiseru and wants to try the real thing. If I ever get one of the pipes and tobacco for it I'll report back/review it. If I buy a Kiseru it'll probably be one of the Tsuge ones from smokingjoes. There are some on ebay as well. I wonder if churchwarden pipe cleaners would do the trick.


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## Lord Wigglybottom (Sep 19, 2008)

I've got a buddy down in AZ who has one and he said pretty much the only thing he managed to smoke in it without sucking embers into his mouth was the tobac cut specially for a kiseru. He also said it was incredibly harsh tobacco to smoke. They are pretty neat looking though, however impractical for puffer purposes.


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## floogy (Jul 2, 2012)

Yeah, I got that impression from the look of the tobacco. Looks like raw uncured leaf shredded and dried. Still, I'm curious. I wonder if it was intended to be inhaled, given the small size of the bowl. I think it'll be something I'll try if my wife ever finds hers or if I were to pick one up on ebay for a few bucks. I don't think I'd spring for a brand new one.


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## Lord Wigglybottom (Sep 19, 2008)

I _believe_ it's meant to be inhaled, and I think that was what soured my friend on the experience. He's not much of a smoker to begin with but he wanted something he could bump off inside a 15 minute break. He did say it didn't have a whole lot of taste and was extremely harsh to inhale.

Yep, quick google search says it's meant to be inhaled.


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## floogy (Jul 2, 2012)

So it would be like smoking unfiltered cigarettes x2. Ouch, my lungs.


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## Irfan (Dec 18, 2011)

Lord Wigglybottom said:


> I _believe_ it's meant to be inhaled, and I think that was what soured my friend on the experience. He's not much of a smoker to begin with but he wanted something he could bump off inside a 15 minute break. He did say it didn't have a whole lot of taste and was extremely harsh to inhale.


There's a pipe that the Gulf Arab dhow sailors use that's designed for a very quick puff and also to be stashed away inside the robes quickly. The sailors have notorious loose morals and bad habits, according to local standards, and the Wahabi Muslims (the dominant Saudi strain) are extremely anti-tobacco, so they were designed so that they could be used quickly and then hidden. It looks quite a lot like a kiseru, too. Incidentally, I read an article the other day saying that the use of tobacco anywhere in public has been totally banned in Saudi Arabia.


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## floogy (Jul 2, 2012)

It must be a Medwakh, the name of the site that sells the Kiseru pipes sells those too. They have a starter kit for 22 bucks that comes with some tobacco. Tiny bowl, they say their 64 gram bottle gives you almost 500 bowls, but it costs a buck a gram. Must be super dry stuff. For 22 bucks though it might be worth a shot just for kicks. It's based in Kansas so the shipping wouldn't be crazy. Looks like stuff that puts hair on your chest though, probably supposed to inhale that too.


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## Irfan (Dec 18, 2011)

floogy said:


> It must be a Medwakh, the name of the site that sells the Kiseru pipes sells those too. They have a starter kit for 22 bucks that comes with some tobacco. Tiny bowl, they say their 64 gram bottle gives you almost 500 bowls, but it costs a buck a gram. Must be super dry stuff. For 22 bucks though it might be worth a shot just for kicks. It's based in Kansas so the shipping wouldn't be crazy. Looks like stuff that puts hair on your chest though, probably supposed to inhale that too.


That's right. Here's a link to an article. Interesting, but I'll stick to my Malaga pipes and my CnD Tuggle Hall, for now.

Arabic Medwakh Pipes and Dokha Tobacco - SaruDama


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## floogy (Jul 2, 2012)

Yeah, the whole inhaling part is why I don't smoke cigarettes, and the disgusting taste. Maybe once I get the Nording freehand I'm longing for and get into some blends I really enjoy and want to try something new I may try it out. But, until then I'm content with "normal" pipes and tobacco, well, normal for this part of the world at least.


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## gogirlanime (Jul 5, 2012)

I am getting one soon I will report back what I think


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## 36Bones (Aug 18, 2011)

Fuzzy said:


> Thirty or forty years ago, I knew some who thought that was the perfect hash pipe.
> 
> Nooo, not me!


Not me either. :wink:


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